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Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce is eyeing a move for Aberdeen midfielder Lewis Ferguson in the upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

While the Magpies boss has already made it clear that he will be looking to sign Joe Willock on a permanent deal from Arsenal this summer, it appears that the Tyneside club also have their sights set on another midfielder in Ferguson.

According to the Daily Mail (via Not The Old Firm), Newcastle are the latest club to be interested in the 21-year-old, and the Magpies are believed to be monitoring his situation ahead of a possible move.

Another Joe Willock

The £2.7m-rated youngster, who was dubbed a “real leader” by former Celtic ace Mark Wilson just last year, has shown his ability to be a real box-to-box midfielder just like Willock, netting ten times in all competitions just last season – his young career has seen him bag 21 goals in total for Aberdeen.

Derek McInnes has previously raved about the 21-year-old, saying: “For me he will (play for Scotland) but whether he is ready for it now, it’s not my job to do that. The boy was born to play football and born to play on the big occasion, and I’m sure everything will come his way in time.

“His temperament has never been in question. He’s a boy but he’s a man. Nothing fazes him. He takes responsibility and there’s a maturity about him that I love. He’s still making contact and winning more headers and tackles than anyone else.”

ScoutedFootball writer Blair Newman described the midfielder as “a dynamic, physical and versatile midfielder” who “possesses a fine range of passing, impressive movement, and plenty of useful defensive attributes.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/newcastle-united-steve-bruce-premier-league-magpies-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-st-james-park-mike-ashley-takeover-pif” title=”Read the latest Newcastle transfer rumours and news!”]

As the Magpies look to chase a permanent deal for Willock, having Ferguson in their sights gives them a potential fallback option if they can’t work something out with Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Steve Bruce could sign a new Saint-Maximin in this “jewel”…

Former Aston Villa man Alan Hutton has been reacting to a transfer update regarding Rangers defender Filip Helander, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Helander links

Steven Gerrard is making a head start when it comes to summer transfer activity, watching targets Boubacar Kamara, Duje Caleta-Car and Geoffrey Kondogbia live over recent weeks.

A Villa source has recently shared the club’s interest in Helander, a defender who Gerrard signed for Rangers back in 2019 in a deal worth £3.5m.

The Sweden international will be entering the final 12 months of his Rangers contract in the summer, and it looks as if Villa are keen on a possible cut-price deal.

The Latest: Hutton reacts

Talking to FI about that update from a Villa source, Hutton, who contributes for Sky Sports, had this to say regarding the interest in Helander, labelling the pace of the Premier League as a ‘worry’ and labelling the step up to English football as ‘huge’.

“Helander is a player who reads the game and gets himself into good positions.

“Obviously the injuries haven’t helped but the thing I would worry about is the pace side of it. When you go down south in the Premier League, you’re playing against a lot of quick players.

“There’s quick movement round about you, at your feet. It’s whether he can handle that. It’s a huge step up.

“No disrespect to Rangers or anybody in Scotland but the Premier League is arguably the best league in the world. That’s the only thing that I would worry about.

“You look at the centre-halves Villa have got now. Konsa is quick, Mings is quick and they can still get caught out.”

The Verdict: A risk?

Helander has made just 11 appearances this season due to knee and foot problems and has missed a whopping 66 games through injury since moving to Scotland.

Gerrard reportedly has his concerns over Helander’s injury history, so a reunion in the Midlands could bring plenty of risks heading into 2022/23.

Bringing Helander to Villa Park as a potential back up option may well be a wise move, especially if Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings move on, but making him a marquee centre-back signing may not be the best idea given his extensive injury woes and arguably worrying lack of pace.

In other news: Source: Gerrard now happy for ace to leave Villa Park; he’s ‘central to a lot of the problems’. 

Many West Ham United fans have been left to buzz as a transfer update emerged on Odsonne Edouard.

As per TEAMtalk, the London Stadium faithful are reportedly leading the race to sign the Celtic striker, as he has rejected a summer approach from Liverpool.

This is despite a personal phone call with Jurgen Klopp, as the East London club are now front in the queue for his signature.

David Moyes’ team are in desperate need of another striker to cover for Michail Antonio, who is no stranger to injuries, and Edouard may well fit the bill, given his immaculate goal scoring record for the Hoops.

At 23 years of age, the Frenchman may fancy a step up in his career now, and the Premier League could well provide him with the perfect opportunity, with the Hammers seemingly ready to take full advantage.

West Ham fans on Edouard transfer update

These Irons supporters buzzed after the transfer update was shared on Twitter:

“Don’t play with my emotions”

Credit: @johnnyattero

“Yes please”

Credit: @MattR_WHUFC

“Him and Abraham would be nice!”

Credit: @WHU99

“Moyes COULD turn him into an absolute monster”

Credit: @BennnWHU

“He’s so needed.”

Credit: @whu_sam13

“Could be a good signing for the mighty Irons!”

Credit: @TrevorSalisbury

In other news, find out who GSB are ‘dreaming’ about signing this summer here!

West Bromwich Albion have learned the latest regarding the future of on-loan striker Jordan Hugill as they look to put together a promotion charge in the second half of the Championship campaign.

What’s the latest?

West Brom will maintain the services of Norwich City loanee Jordan Hugill for the remainder of the season after Canaries manager Dean Smith revealed that there is no recall option in the 29-year-old’s contract at The Hawthorns.

Speaking to the Eastern Daily Press, Smith said: “I don’t believe there is a recall option. I’ve spoken to Andy [Hughes], who’s our loans’ manager who keeps in touch with all the loan players. I’m going to be speaking to Jordan over the next 24 hours to see how he is finding it there.

“I don’t believe there’s a release clause but I’ll have a chat and see how he is.”

The Englishman was benched for the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Brighton and then left out of the matchday squad entirely on Saturday as Albion were beaten 1-0 late on at QPR.

After the defeat in West London, Baggies boss Valerien Ismael stated: “Yes it was my decision,” when asked post-match about Hugill’s absence. “I spoke to him about the situation, he came to me. I think now for him it’s a new situation. We spoke openly about the situation.”

However, finding a new situation may not be as straightforward as hoped with the complications regarding Hugill’s recall possibilities.

Ismael will be furious

Naturally, both parties will want the best for Hugill with there still four-and-a-half months of the season to be played. However, it does appear that the 29-year-old’s spell in the West Midlands is up.

The Norwich striker has scored just once in 20 appearances during his loan spell with Ismael’s side and has recently fallen further down the pecking order with the West Brom manager reuniting with former Barnsley loanee Daryl Dike.

The 21-year-old scored nine goals in 22 appearances for the South Yorkshire side last term as they reached the Championship play-off semi-final. However, a permanent move didn’t materialise and the American returned to his parent club MLS outfit Orlando City.

Now, the striker has finally made a permanent move to the Championship, following Ismael from Oakwell to The Hawthorns and signing a four-and-a-half deal with the West Midlands club.

If Hugill is no longer in Ismael’s plans, then West Brom and Norwich City will have to find a solution with the future of the Englishman in their best interest. Ideally, Norwich will recall the striker and send him on loan elsewhere, however, solving the predicament doesn’t appear to be that straightforward.

As a result, Albion are left with a player who clearly adds nothing to their side; an eventuality that won’t suit them at all in the back end of the campaign. Ismael will rightfully be frustrated as a result.

In other news: West Brom handed worrying transfer update that will have fans sweating

West Ham United could turn their attention to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain before this month’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

According to ESPN, Liverpool may sell the 27-year-old midfielder in order to raise funds before making their own moves in the market, and it comes just days after the Hammers were mooted with a move for him.

The Express have claimed that manager David Moyes is considering a possible loan bid for the England international as he continues to seek a viable alternative to Jesse Lingard.

West Brom playmaker Matheus Pereira and Chelsea outcast Ross Barkley are other options linked with the Irons in recent weeks.

Wilshere 2.0?

If the 58-year-old goes ahead with plans to seal a move for Oxlade-Chamberlain, then he could be about to repeat one of Manuel Pellegrini’s biggest mistakes.

It wouldn’t be the first time that West Ham have put their faith in an injury-prone player, having signed Jack Wilshere on a free transfer from Arsenal in 2018 when the Chilean was in the dugout.

On his day, the former Gunners youth product was one of the best in the Premier League with the ball at his feet, but the Hammers saw him on the pitch only 19 times in two years as he couldn’t shake off the injury problems which troubled him at the Emirates Stadium.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is in a very similar mould. Capped 35 times by England, his quality cannot be doubted, especially as he’s made more than 200 appearances in the English top-flight and has a Premier League title, Champions League and FA Cup win in his trophy cabinet.

Arsene Wenger once compared him to Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas too, but Oxlade-Chamberlain has also endured a tough time on the treatment table in recent years.

He played a mere 244 minutes last season and during their title-winning 2019/20 campaign, he could only muster up a total of 1,490 minutes (just 17 starts).

The Athletic’s Reds correspondent James Pearce even described him as “a passenger” back in January, also claiming that his form was a “real concern.”

It remains to be seen what sort of finances would be involved in a loan deal, but with Oxlade-Chamberlain sitting on around £120k-per-week, it would be a massive gamble to make, and as we’ve seen in the past with Wilshere, it doesn’t always work out.

Whilst Moyes’ coaching could see the former Arsenal star become another Lingard, it seems likely that injury problems would have him heading down the same fatal path as Wilshere.

The Irons must block any move for the Liverpool outcast this summer.

AND in other news, Moyes given big West Ham transfer boost over £36m-rated “machine”, fans surely buzzing…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were livid at scenes involving some of their supporters during the title celebrations at George Square in Glasgow on Saturday.

This weekend, the Gers completed an unbeaten Premiership season (BBC) with a 4-0 win over Aberdeen. It was also the day that they received the trophy at Ibrox, which was the perfect way to end the campaign. As such, thousands of fans took to the streets outside Rangers’ home ground and across the city of Glasgow to celebrate their 55th league title.

On the whole, the celebrations were peaceful and well-natured, but a minority of fans let the rest down. Twenty arrests were made on the day, while a number of police officers were injured (firstpost.com), and really there is no need for such violence on what should have been an occasion of joy.

It seems that the majority of Rangers supporters were disgusted by those who took to the streets to cause violence. These Ibrox fans took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“What a riddle, honestly disgusting”

Credit: @and_alan

“Disgraceful, unfortunately not surprising”

Credit: @Daniel11Thain

“Totally agree mate, absolutely shocking, obviously can’t handle the drink.”

Credit: @andyb29

“Breaks my heart watching our own scrapping with each other on a day like this. Some unaccustomed to drinking all day and lose all sense of what they are doing”

Credit: @theliftman07

“That’s a showing up!! Never season ticket holders that go week in week out! Embarrassing”

Credit: @AndrewM82406495

“Completely agree. Let the club down. This is not Rangers.”

Credit: @RagingYou

In other news, many Rangers fans lauded this man’s performance against Aberdeen.

Dean Windass reckons that Dele Alli would be an excellent replacement for Jack Grealish at Aston Villa.

Whilst Villa are hopeful of convincing their captain and talisman to sign a new deal at Villa Park, Manchester City are doing all they can in their attempts to bring the attacker to the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Grealish has proved himself as one of the top attackers in the Premier League and is now showing the world what he can do on the international stage with England.

Having marked his first European Championships start by setting up the winner against Czech Republic, Grealish then came off the bench to assist Harry Kane’s second to seal the victory against Germany on Tuesday.

However, with Grealish’s future in serious doubt, Villa have already signed Emiliano Buendia from Norwich for a club-record fee.

But Grealish are going to need more than Buendia to replace their captain, and Windass exclusively told Football FanCast that Alli, whose own future at Tottenham is up in the air, would fit the bill:

“I think that would suit Dele Alli, he would be a big player for Villa. I know he’s a different type of player to Jack, but with him being young and English.

“Dele wants to play, players want to play, they’re not happy when they’re not playing. Would be a good fit for Villa even if they keep Jack, to strengthen the team, he would be unbelievable.

“They would probably want £50m-£60m for Dele Alli, but that’s the type of player Dean Smith would want to bring in if Jack left.”

As per Sport, a significant update has dropped involving West Ham United and Barcelona goalkeeper Neto as manager David Moyes plots to replace Lukassz Fabianski.

The Lowdown: Fabianski nearing end?

West Ham’s current number one is nearing the twilight phase of his career and they may have to start planning for the future sooner rather than later.

Having just retired from international duty with Poland, Fabianski’s career at club level is also a talking point with his current deal set to expire in 2022.

The Irons snapped up Alphonse Areola on a season-long loan with the option to make it permanent but it appears new transfer chief Rob Newman has alternatives in mind.

The Latest: West Ham ‘best placed’ to sign Neto…

As Barcelona seek to get the Brazilian powerhouse shot stopper off their wage bill, it is believed that ‘he may already have a foot and a half outside the club’, according to Sport.

Indeed, the Catalans will apparently let him go and it may well happen as soon as January, with West Ham now the ‘best placed’ to sign him if he does leave.

Moyes is apparently preparing to replace Fabianski and has one eye on the 6 foot 3 keeper.

The Irons could in fact ‘bet’ on a swoop for his services.

The Verdict: Right move?

Given their links to England international Sam Johnstone and the presence of Areola, we believe the potential signing of Neto isn’t exactly a headline-grabber by comparison.

At 32-years-old with just a handful of Barca starts over the last two seasons, he comes as an arguable back up at best to better options like Johnstone – who himself could leave for West Brom due to his 2022 contract situation.

In other news: Contact made: West Ham have already positioned themselves to sign 17-goal ‘real handful’ for Moyes, find out more here.

Celtic are interested in signing Rennes defender Brandon Soppy, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Soppy profiled

Soppy is 19 years of age and is under contract with the Ligue 1 side until 2022.

The France youth international has made 11 senior appearances for Rennes so far. He is primarily a right-back but has also turned out as a centre-back.

He is on £2,500 per week with his current employers and holds a Transfermarkt valuation of £6.3m –  the 31st highest for players born in 2002.

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The Latest: Romano’s Twitter post

Romano posted on Twitter on Saturday night, describing Soppy as a ‘huge talent’, with talks opened between Celtic and Rennes.

However, he appeared to make a slight mistake by claiming that Soppy was a left-back target, tweeting: “Celtic are interested in signing Brandon Soppy from Rennes [19, huge talent] as new left back. Talks opened – but there are also French clubs in the race.”

L’Equipe backed up Celtic’s interest on Sunday morning, claiming that Rennes will set the bar at €5m (£4.27m).

The Verdict: Right-back additions are needed

Following the permanent exits of Jeremie Frimpong and Hatem Elhamed earlier this year, Celtic are in need of right-back reinforcements rather quickly – Anthony Ralston is currently their only natural option in that role.

It’s an area of the pitch where Ange Postecoglou wants to recruit before the Hoops’ Champions League qualifier, and Soppy could be a better target than Sheffield United’s George Baldock, for whom Celtic were willing to pay £8m.

Soppy is nine years Baldock’s junior, is valued at £1.8m more than the Blades man and would more than likely be a better long-term addition.

Celtic aren’t the only side interested in the teenager, though, so they may have to act fast and possibly pay over the odds for his services.

In other news: ‘We’re a mess’ – Many Celtic fans fume as ‘mental’ news is confirmed. 

Helder Costa’s proposed last-minute move from Leeds United to Valencia could be off, following a late twist in the saga on deadline day.

The Lowdown: Costa tipped for Valencia move

The 27-year-old has been linked with a late move to the La Liga side, as he looks to enjoy a fresh challenge and earn more playing time.

On Tuesday, it appeared as though a switch to Spain could materialise for Costa, but that story has now taken a turn.

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The Latest: Deal looks to be off

According to Spanish journalist Hector Gomez on Twitter [via MOT Leeds News], Valencia boss Jose Bordalas has called off the move at the eleventh hour.

The ‘player wants to come’ but the manager has reportedly ‘stopped the operation’, which suggests Costa may end up remaining a Leeds player until at least January now.

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The Verdict: Huge blow for winger

This is a big blow for Costa, considering how hard he could find it to earn playing time at Leeds moving forward.

The Portuguese was having a tough enough time of things at it was, but the addition of Daniel James from Manchester United only heightens the chances of him warming the substitutes’ bench.

The hope is that some late business can still be done, though, in order for Costa to reach a happier phase in his career and the Whites to secure a fee for his services.

In other news, one piece of Leeds deadline day business is reportedly done. Read more here.